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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TEAR, v.², n.² Also teer (Sc. 1838 Wilson's Tales of the Borders IV. 307; Abd. 1891 Trans. Bch. Field Club II. 12; Lth., Ayr. 1923–6 Wilson; Lnk. 1927 G. Rae Where Falcons Fly ii.; Gall. 1934 Gallov. Annual 22; ne.Sc. 1972); teir (Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 210); taer, tair, tare (Sh.), te'r (Rnf. 1935 L. Kerr Woman of Glenshiels 144), terr (n.Sc. 1964 Weekly Scotsman (25 June) 17; Uls. 1972). Sc. forms and usages of Eng. tear, (to) rend, rip. [ti:r, em.Sc. (a) te:r; Sh. + tɑr]

I v. A. Forms: Pr.t. as above. Pa.t. tare (Sc. 1710 R. Wodrow Corresp. (1842) I. 120; Rnf. 1791 A. Wilson Poems 74; Abd. A. Keith Songs N.-E. 30; Slg. 1972) [te:r]; after Eng., tore (Gen.Sc.), tore (Sh.), toor (Peb. 1805 J. Nicol Poems I. 36; Mry. 1930), teur (Sh. 1892 Manson's Almanac; Ork. 1904 Dennison Orcad. Sketches 1); tuer (Sh. 1897 Shetland News (19 June)), tuir (Ags. 1853 W. Blair Aberbrothock 35; Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sketches 127), ture (Ags. 1833 J. S. Sands Poems 26; Sh. 1897 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 259) [tø:r]; †tuore (s.Sc. 1873 D.S.C.S. 208). Pa.p. torn; tore (Peb. 1817 R.D.C. Brown Comic Poems 33; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 247; Cai. 1869 M. Maclennan Peasant Life 59), also in Eng. dial. Abd. 1987 Sheena Blackhall in Joy Hendry Chapman 49 57:
A mirey, dubby, tapsalteerie burn
Teirin alang a bank o' reidest thorn

B. Usages: 1. As in Eng., in combs. and phrs.: (1) tear-in-twa, violent, completely unrestrained, irresistible (Cai. 1972); (2) tear-the-wind, a violent, roistering, dare-devil character; (3) to be torn out, to be asked out much socially, to be popular (ne.Sc. 1972); (4) torn-bellie, a herring which has been split or broken as a result of careless handling (Sc. 1884 W. S. Miln Herring Fishing 26; I., n.Sc. Fif. 1972); (5) torn-doun, disreputable, dissipated, broken-down (Sh. 1972). Also in Eng. dial. and U.S.; (6) torn face, (a person with) a sulky peevish face (Cai., m.Sc. 1972). Freq. used vocatively. Hence torn-faced, sulky, glum (Edb. 1972); (7) torn-hattie, an epithet for a native of Brechin in Angus, gen. used derisively by the people of the neighbouring town of Montrose (Ags. 1972); (8) torn scone, = (6) (Ags. 1972); (9) to tear him up, of weather: to improve; (10) to tear in, tr., to reclaim waste or rough ground (n.Sc. 1972). Cf. Rive, v., 2.(4); (11) to tear the tartan, see Tartan, n., 3.(1) Ayr. 1892 H. Ainslie Pilgrimage 244:
They stampit an' flet, at a tear-in-twa rate.(2) Kcb. 1905 Crockett Cherry Ribband xl.:
Wi' wild Rob Grier on your track and half the drucken tear-the-winds in the country.(4) Bnff. 1887 G. G. Green Gordonhaven 45:
They pitched the individual herrings into different heaps, according as they were ‘full', ‘spent', ‘matties', or ‘tornbellies'.Sh. 1890 Shetland News (12 Aug.):
Tornbellies, 20 m to 21 m — all in bond.Abd. 1987 George Bruce Perspectives 16:
I shot my nets thirty miles
East of North off Kinnaird,
came home with spents,
the rest torn bellies.
The dogs had got them.(5) Ags. 1840 G. Webster Ingliston xxviii.:
They're a wheen torn doon rascals the doctors, a perfect intak on the public.Rnf. 1861 J. Barr Poems 119:
He was like some torn-doun playactor, That had sung for his bread thro' a fair.(6) Ags. 1968:
What a torn face ye've got!Gsw. 1990 Alan Spence The Magic Flute (1991) 138:
'Tornfaced auld cunt,' said Jack. Edb. 1994 Douglas McKenzie in James Roberston A Tongue in Yer Heid 4:
"If ye'r no pleased," he wad say, "tak yer torn face oot o here. Ah didnae ask ye tae come." Edb. 1994:
Ya torn-faced auld bitch ye! m.Sc. 1994 Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay Forever Yours, Marie-Lou 28:
We're too auld tae start this cairry-oan again...You take it fae me, torn face, you'll be eatin smoothy peanut butter fae noo oan! If you're waantin tae feed that wean's face, you better start savin the cents! Edb. 1998 Gordon Legge Near Neighbours (1999) 46:
As she headed back to her desk a great big woman with a right torn face came storming in.(7) Ags. 1931 V. Jacob Lairds of Dun 6:
The epithet of “Torn hatties” as a jeer at the alleged disreputable looks of their rivals.(9) Sh. 1952 Robertson and Graham Sh. Grammar 32:
He'll tear him up a time.(10) Sc. 1826 R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes 85:
Hill and moss shall be torn in.Abd. 1845 Stat. Acc.² XII. 290:
Tearing in rough ground covered with heath and whins.

2. Of wind: to blow hard, to sweep along in violent gusts, to rage (Sh., n.Sc., Per., Lnk. 1972). Ppl.adj. tearin, high, boisterous, gusty, raging (Id.). Rare and obs. in Eng.Sc. 1861 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. 9:
A rantin', tantin', tearin' wind.Abd. 1923 J. Hunter MS. Diary (26 June):
Turned out a real tearin kind of day.

3. intr. To work strenuously or with great energy and unrelaxing speed (Abd. 1825 Jam.), freq. with advs. at (Sh.), awa, in, on. Gen.Sc.; also tr. with preps. and advs. at, into, ower, up, to go at, set about, tackle, perform on or stir up with great vigour. Gen.Sc. Colloq. or dial. in Eng. Ppl.adj. tearin, bustling, energetic, active.Rxb. 1825 Jam.:
A tearin' worker, a tearin' throwgain fallow.Wgt. 1878 “Saxon” Gall. Gossip 33:
Busy threshing the barley with the big flail, and tearing on fearful.Per. 1881 D. MacAra Crieff 165:
They're aye tearin' at the Gaelic.Abd. 1890 Bon-Accord (26 July) 18:
Two love-makers were busily engaged tearing up the cross-cut saw.Ags. 1894 F. MacKenzie Glenbruar 93:
We hae torn an' wrought a' oor days.m.Lth. 1894 W. G. Stevenson Puddin' 37:
Seein' the bit laddie tearin' awa', an' eatin' the breid he wins.Sh. 1901 Shetland News (13 April, 22 June):
Shü took da tengs aff o' da herstane an' töre ower da fire. . . . I töre at fil I got da kirn brokkin.wm.Sc. 1903 “S. Macplowter” Mrs. McCraw 14:
A'm a graun' mulker, an' a tearin' warker.Rxb. 1927 E. C. Smith Braid Haaick 13:
Hei was in a teerin kip an wadna stoap a meenint.Abd. 1928 A. Black Three Sketches 8:
Ay, ay, yer teerin' on wi' the shank.Sh. 1952 Robertson and Graham Sh. Grammar 32:
Dey wir aa tearin at an wirkin.ne.Sc. 1955 Mearns Leader (29 April):
He tore intae that fiddle as only a jiner o' lang practice wi' a saw kwid dee.Sc. 1970 G. M. Fraser General Danced 58:
‘Get tore in!' cried the Governor.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 70:
tore To get tore in to something or someone is to set about it of him with vigour: 'She wis getting tore inty him wi her handbag.' Edb. 1986:
Get tore in aboot something/someone. Gsw. 1988 George MacDonald Fraser The Sheikh and the Dustbin (1989) 99:
"Onywye, they say the wee fellah got tore in oan oor side in the war..." wm.Sc. 1995 Alan Warner Morvern Callar 148:
Why don't you just get tore into having a good time rather than this daft brooding?

4. intr. To behave in a somewhat rowdy or boisterous fashion, to roister, romp; tr. to tease, to rag, to torment in a rough sportive way. Ppl.adj., vbl.n. tearin (n. and m.Sc. 1972).Rnf. 1863 J. Nicholson Kilwuddie 44:
Tearin', swearin' Johnnie Law.Cai. 1869 M. Maclennan Peasant Life 183:
He's a tairin' dancer.Sh. 1897–1900 Shetland News (17 July, 13 Jan., 18 Aug,):
His tairin' an rivin' wi wis da lasses. . . . A'm fir nane o' dy taerin' da night. . . . If doo wi'd gie him less aff-taks, he widna taer dee sae muckle.Abd. 1928 Word-Lore III. 149:
As they hid a curn gey tearin' loons, her weirs didna roost.

5. intr. To rage, get into a passion. Also Eng. dial.; tr. to rage or storm at. Hence tearer, a passionate irascible person, of a woman: a shrew, vixen (Sh., Cai., Lnk. 1972); tearin, vbl.n., an angry reproof or denunciation, a thorough “dressing-down” (Kcd., em.Sc.(a), Lnk. 1972).Fif. 1824 J. Bissett Poems 184:
Hoot, says I, ye maunna tear me, Nor, wi' your grumphing try to fear me.Rnf. 1850 A. McGilvray Poems 48:
I shudder to come near her, For faith she is a tearer.Dmb. 1899 J. Strang Lass of Lennox iii.:
He came to me in my laboratory afterwards and raged and tore about.Ags. 1901 W. J. Milne Reminisc. 141:
He gied Clootie an awfu' tearin'.Kcb. 1901 R. Trotter Gall. Gossip 68:
They said she wus a tearer.

II. n. 1. (1) As in Eng., a tear(ing), a rent, tatter.Sc. 1827 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 288:
There should aye be some teer and weer about a lassie that's meant for domestic life.Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 210:
There's no much teir an' weer in that gem.Sh. 1900 Shetland News (15 Sept.):
I tink hit's grey paper, in place of ledder. See foo hits a' in taars.wm.Sc. 1920 D. Mackenzie Pride o' Raploch 63:
She dang in his hurdies some teers.

(2) of a plough: ability to tear or cut (a furrow); specif. the angle of adjustment between the coulter of a plough and the point of the sock, which regulates this (Cai., Slg., Lth., Rxb. 1972).Lth. 1961:
A Lothian ploughman would give his coulter more “tear” without adding to the size of the “top” and uses it in the sense of tearing soil from the land side.

2. Transf. A piece of fun, a frolic, spree, “lark”, joke, banter (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., 1942 Zai; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Mry. 1930; Sh., Cai., Inv., m., s.Sc. 1972). Also Ir. and U.S.Fif. 1909 R. Holman Char. Studies 46:
You mind me o' a tare I had aince wi' Jamie.Rnf. 1929 G. Blake Path of Glory 35:
It's a great tear the cookin.wm.Sc. 1936 R. Maclellan Toom Byres (1947) 17:
We were haein a tair wi him aboot the kelpie.Ags. 1962 D. Phillips Lichty Nichts 43:
Eh yaisti fair look forrit tae Hoagmanay; thir wuz some rare tears.Dundee 1991 Ellie McDonald in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 84:
'Lippen tae me, ye fushionless craitur,
tak yersel doun here, dinnae be feart.
I've thocht up a tare the deil cudnae better
tae win back yer arle wi'oot muckle sturt. ... 'Arg. 1995:
He was quiet, but there was a tear in him.

3. A lively entertaining person, a jolly sort, a comic (Cai., em.Sc.(a), wm. and s.Sc. 1972).Rnf. 1935 G. Blake Shipbuilders ix. 2.:
She's a right tear thon!Gsw. 1937 F. Niven Staff at Simpson's xi.:
They were exceptional. They were a “tear.”Gsw. 1991 Margaret Sinclair Windae Hingin' and Busker Singin' 13:
Drink's oot the windae noo, the broo money's needed fur the hoose,
Mind Big Willie, he wis a terr, noo he's quiet as a moose.

4. A great quantity, a large amount, gen. with adj. of bigness (Sh., ne.Sc., Ags., Uls. 1972).ne.Sc. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
There's an a'fu' teer o' stuff the day. Ye've gane thro' a big tear o' wark the day.Abd. 1961:
There's a gweed tear o coorseness in her.